Courtney Send Message

This is another awesome sample sent to me by VariaTEA :)

I’m slowly but surely catching up on all the things and this tea has really helped boost my motivation after hours of listening to lectures on environmental assessment.

This tea has a perfect subtle black tea flavour for me today. Absolutely no astringency (yay) and smooth. It’s not too intense in flavour, just light and smooth – perfect for any time of day.

I actually think I’ll have to check out this tea company – I’ve never ordered from them before, but this tea has inspired me to at least look over their website!

Thanks VariaTEA!

I have so much catching up to do and decided to wade through some of it tonight with this tea!

This one is really tasty — very smooth with the slightest hint of mineral, but with a subtle background sweetness as well. I wish I had ordered more!

Another great sample from VariaTEA!

I steeped this one at just under boiling (very scientific, left the kettle open for a few seconds after it came to the boil) for 4 minutes.

This one smelled fairly sweet, but I felt adventurous today. The flavour is actually great! I can’t believe I’m enjoying this as much as I am because I usually don’t care for ‘overly’ flavoured teas, but this one is well done.

This has a very smooth feel with a healthy dose of vanilla and coconut. The base is not astringent at all, which I love. Overall a really smooth and lovely cuppa this afternoon.

Thanks VariaTEA!

Thanks VariaTEA for sharing this one (and many others)!

Made this one while trying to catch up on school work and volunteer stuff after getting back late Friday night.

The dry scent was very “breakfast blend-y” and the steeped scent is similar. The taste is a nice black tea with the slightest astringency, but nothing overwhelming at all. I’m actually really enjoying this one overall. I’m excited to have so much to enjoy!

I enjoyed two cups of this this afternoon to finish off the workday before a week off to celebrate our first wedding anniversary <3!

Loving this one with some coconut simple syrup and homemade cream. It’s just delicious! I made it hot this afternoon, but I also enjoy it cold like this. I’m so thrilled to have discovered this unique drink.

I just brewed this one up for a wee treat this afternoon. This one, along with Coquelicot Gourmand from DF were ones I really went through quickly. I have only a small amount of this one left after taking a hiatus from it between last winter and now.

The scent is very cookie-like, with a nice chocolate to it. The taste is more lightly flavoured and a bit thin/delicate, but it really translates from the scent. For me at least, I’d much rather a lightly flavoured tea than something over the top, so this one is overall quite lovely.

I’m always impressed with DF’s ability to make a tea truly what they say it is.

Today we decluttered the house and listed some things for sale on Kijiji. I steeped one cup of each lot (641 & 864) and then received a message that someone could pop by tonight for a sale (covid-safely, of course!). Naturally! So, by the time I got to these teas, they were lukewarm, however, my notes are below and I’ll try for a more detailed/at least a hotter cuppa later in the week!

Lot 864: Maltiness and oat-y with a hint of a savoury note mixed in at first sip, a hint of sweetness and no astringency. As it cools (even more), notes of floral come through, though very subtle.

Lot 641: Maltiness and oat-y with a hint of sweetness in the background mid-sip, absolutely no astringency at first sip. I would say this one has the barest hint of floral as it cools (a little sooner noticeable) and some fruits in the background, though I can’t say which fruits.

Overall, very similar in taste with only the barest hint of difference, at least at this temperature. I have only a limited amount of 641 remaining, so I’ll have to postpone any and all things when I steep these two the next time around!

The Taiwan Tea Crafts have arrived! Four days early, and no custom fees (Sil)! :)

This one is super tasty! I was interrupted and managed to get half of it in while hot and the other half while ice cold haha — but it was tasty both ways! Such a great ‘mix’ of black and oolong flavours. I saved the leaves for a second steep, so hopefully I can provide a more detailed review soon!

Just whipped up a mug of this for the afternoon of work. I’ve been switching between cups of this, Yuchi Wild Mountain Black, and ice coffee basically all day, every day. It’s been a delight.

I have so many Dammann Frères though, I should probably try to expand and drink some of these ones too.

I’m finally polishing off my 250g package of this after hoarding the remaining bits of it during COVID. I bit the bullet and ordered another 250g earlier this week and now I can comfortably finish this off knowing more is en route (unless something happens with the post…).

This is one of my all-time favourite teas and I usually order the 250g package once per year to enjoy throughout the year. I would describe this as waffle-y and delicious. I can’t wait to see what the new lot (864) brings!